Our Chair Anna Moon and Chief Executive Jayne Woodley were delighted to attend the swearing-in ceremony for the new High Sheriff of Oxfordshire Tom Birch Reynardson last night at Oxford Crown Court, where he announced a further collaboration with the community foundation.
Tom takes over from Tony Stratton, DL, as High Sheriff, an independent non-political Royal appointment that lasts for a single year. High Sheriffs actively lend support and encouragement to crime prevention agencies, the emergency services and the voluntary sector. As part of his role, Tom plans to focus specifically on supporting the judiciary and law-enforcement services by setting up a programme of visits to the Crown Court for school children. The project will help children see for themselves how those involved in the judicial process are working together to achieve the best results for society, and also open their eyes to some of the harsh realities of the criminal justice system being played out.
During his speech at the ceremony, Tom paid tribute to Tony Stratton’s work with the local voluntary and community sector in particular, in setting up the High Sheriff’s Challenge, a series of team contests in prestigious locations that helped raise funds for three local charities. The Challenge made use of Tony’s experience of the corporate world in galvanising local businesses to become involved with the community, and was administered through Oxfordshire Community Foundation. Tony continues to work with us to help us build on the positive business relationships that have been forged.
In a similar vein, Tom announced during his swearing-in speech that he will also be working with OCF to establish a specific charitable fund to further the philanthropic objectives of all High Sheriffs within the county on an indefinite basis. The new named fund will be held and managed under OCF’s umbrella, allowing consistent and ongoing support for all future High Sheriffs. Tom commented during his speech: “I am very grateful to OCF for their professionalism and support in helping with those arrangements, and I much look forward to working with them over the coming year in establishing the fund on a proper footing.”
History lecture on the Battle of Waterloo
Tom’s first fundraising event will be a lecture given by renowned historian Dr Andrew Roberts, who will speak at Oxford Brookes University on 15th June 2015. The date is the 200th anniversary of the Duchess of Richmond’s Ball, and the start of the offensive that led to Wellington’s victory at Waterloo. If you are interested in attending, please download the leaflet below, which gives full details of the event and how to make a booking.
Download the leaflet for the Duchess of Richmond’s Ball lecture